One thing I've seen mentioned is that people assume car tires are 4 ply.... not the case. The Potenza's are still a 2 ply tire for example.
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(Original Post edited for brevity)
OEM tire - 2 ply sidewall -2 ply tread
Car tire - 2 ply sidewall - 4 ply tread - The sidewall will be a bit stiffer because of the construction of a car tire vs the Kenda
I put Falken ZE car tire on the back of my RS. Once it wears out I will go back to oem tire. It handles great in dry weather and wears great however I find I slide alot more on wet roads with the car tire. Don't know why. But I'm uneasy with it on wet roads now.
I agree. I had the Toyo Proxes rear tire and it stuck better in wet and dry than the OEM. I've been disappointed with the Falken's. You might try adjusting the psi. But it may be more the rubber compound than pressure. Typically a longer wearing tire will not give you the best traction.
For example, I had a hard time getting my Falken 912 to hook up at the Spyderfest drags. The last race (which I lost) - I had a .4+ second jump at the light but at 60 feet he had me by .2 seconds. So he beat me by .6 in 60 feet. We ran pretty even after that so it wasn't a HP difference. It could be a simple matter of his skill being much better or it could be the tire. I prefer to blame the tire, of course!
Well to give a UK perspective ( as if anyone cares!! ).
I've asked the same question of my dealer whose staff are very dedicated.
1. Aside from the increased ply rating there is another consideration,
namely the weight rating. The OEM Kendas are weight rated at 62 while
a car tire will be rated at 82 to 89 which in real world terms means that
the
You make some interesting statements here and not being a tire expert I can only offer my perspective. I only pursue this because, as others have mentioned, this is an important subject. I've numbered the comments to make it easier to follow.
I know I'm :bdh: but hey! you can't hurt a dead horse... Right?
1- I don't see the 4 ply tread of a car tire vs 2 ply on the OEM as a negative, especially if the 2 tires are about the same weight (which has been my limited experience). The OEM tire tends to wear in the middle because the 2 ply tread does not offer sufficient resistance to centrifugal force. So at freeway speeds the OEM tire tends to doughnut out giving you less tread in contact with the road, which gives you the classic center wear pattern on the OEM tire.
The car tire with 4 ply tread keeps the tread area flatter giving you better contact with the road surface, a more even wear across the width of the tire and generally, longer tread life. You can add to this that 4 plies will resist puncture better than 2 plies.
2. OEM tire sidewalls flex more easily through curves which for cornering stability is
crucial. What my dealer doesn't know is that in a past lifetime I was a buyer for
a tire wholesaler so with respect to tire specs his explanation rings true.
Of course, as is universally known, we get more wet weather in England than most partsof the US so wet weather performance is tantamount!
2. I agree that the OEM sidewalls flex more easily and this (along with the 2 ply tread) will give you a softer ride. But too much flex will allow the tread area to lift reducing tire contact and reducing traction.
3. In corners with a car tire on a Spyder, as the sidewalls won't flex as readily, keeping the maximum 'footprint' of the tire on the road surface
is more difficult.
3. I am really trying NOT to be argumentative here. But If you look at any of the videos of a Spyder in hard cornering you'll see that the OEM tire sidewall flex allows the inside tread area of the tire to lift off the roadway and the outside tread area to roll under. You don't even have to see a video. You can feel the OEM front tires giving up on hard turns because of the weak sidewalls. People are increasing tire pressure in an effort to compensate for the OEM sidewall collapse. Of course by raising tire pressure you start to lose the softer ride advantage created by the weak sidewall and 2 ply tread.
The car tire, having 4 ply tread and a bit stiffer sidewall, will tend to keep a flatter profile and more tread on the road during hard cornering. Granted, the ride may be a bit stiffer but I have not noticed any real difference in that respect.
It only stands to reason that the RT, being heavier and having a higher center of gravity, will suffer what I consider to be the negative effects of a soft sidewall to a greater degree than the lighter, lower RS.
4. Also car tires don't perform at their best when inflated to the ultra-low
pressures which are specified on the Spyder. So if like me you ride your Spyder hard then I
would stick to the recommended rubber...if you don't then you're probably OK.
4. Now here is were we might be able to agree, at least in theory. Tires are designed to run a certain pressure. But I am assuming (again, not being a tire expert) that this is based on weights at or near the rated loading, which obviously our Spyders do not approach.
Without scientific testing I can only go by personal and other's experience. While I am not particularly thrilled with my current Falken 912's traction (not horrible, by any stretch, just not stellar) I think it has much more to do with the rubber compound than pressure. I've run from 26 psi to 32 psi in the rear tire with the higher number giving me better all around performance. It is the fronts, at 20 psi, that are significantly lower than called for and they seem to do fine. I haven't experimented with the front tire pressures much.
So, while I agree that the potential is there for reduced performance, I am not sure this has been the experience.
5. BUT to each their own and if saving $$ every couple of years is important to some of you
then I guess that's OK too.
Apologies for the ramble but I just wanted to add another opinion.
5. I and others who have used car tires do mention price. I can only speak for myself but I don't get car tires because they are cheaper. I get CERTAIN car tires because I THINK they have the potential to be better. I DO NOT think all car tires are superior to the Kenda's.
I would pay more than OEM price if I thought that it was a superior tire. Traction, control and performance are very important to me and I'm not going to willingly compromise these to save a few bucks every few years. The reason I mention price is simply that I see it as an added bonus.
You're a good guy and I very much appreciate your perspective. It's not a battle to be right, it's a group effort to get to the facts. I want to be clear that I am only giving my opinion and I'm not trying to talk anyone into getting a car tire. You can't go wrong putting the OEM tires on your Spyder. But some of us are always looking for something better. Sometimes you come up with gold, sometimes all you get is a pile of dirt....
hyea:
